Forthcoming telly

[altariel]

Obviously, you know, Cybermen (at 7pm again, don't miss the first 15 minutes), but also on BBC4 tonight a couple of programmes people may find interesting: Machine Men, a documentary to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our tin-can pallies, looking at robots, androids and cyborgs in fact and fiction; a repeat of the recent (variable but better than the live Quatermass) adaptation of A For Andromeda; and a repeat of the documentary about Russell T Davies.

Next week, Andrew Davies' adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst's Booker winner The Line of Beauty starts (Wed, 9pm, BBC2) - apparently every episode will be available to watch online, which really is public service broadcasting. (Have the BBC done this before?)

We now return you to your regular schedule.

Comments

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

a repeat of the recent (variable but better than the live Quatermass) adaptation of A For Andromeda

Regrettably, I don't have BBC4. I still have fond memories of the original, broadcast over forty years ago. Julie Christie was probably the first women I ever fell in love with.

Did you happen to see Andrew Davies' adaptation of Kingsley Amis' "The Old Devils", broadcast the best part of ten years ago? That was absolutely marvellous.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Regrettably, I don't have BBC4.

It's probably the channel I watch most these, really interesting programming.

I still have fond memories of the original, broadcast over forty years ago.

*sigh* I missed the first golden age of television entirely (I think we could well be in another at the moment).

I didn't see The Old Devils - I must keep an eye out for it on the drama channels.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I was hoping that The Old Devils" would come out on DVD, but as yet it doesn't seem to have done.

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

The Cybermen look amazingly cool! Really wish I could watch that documentary, too. Wish more programs were available online.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm really hoping that putting The Line of Beauty online is one of those first steps towards putting even more BBC output online. I think quite a lot of their radio programming is available now, but I hadn't seen any drama available (news programming, yes, but not drama).

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

I've passed that link on to a friend, as well, so thanks! I would not have known.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Glad to help!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

And this morning The Times insisted on delivering me a DVD with your current default icon on the cover.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

They gave you a free copy of Metropolis? Damn, and Mr A. nipped out to the shop before I read this! (One day I must get round to framing the prints of the artwork from Metropolis that I got from the Berlin Film Museum.)

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I could pass it on to you when I've watched it?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'd really appreciate that, thank you. It's ages since I've seen it.

[gair.livejournal.com]

Ee, I saw it for the first time when it was on the syllabus for my 'temporality' course a few months ago - watched it with the students in the afternoon, then took it home to show Gerald the 'good bits' that evening and ended up watching the whole thing all over again. Who knew silent cinema could be that good?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The last time I saw it was some years ago at the Arts cinema, and the audience laughed all the way through it!! Flippin' philistines.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Does the online broadcast apply to users with a British IP number only, or can everyone watch The Line of Beauty on the 'Net...?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Er, good question, and I have no idea, even after poking around the site a bit. The only thing I can suggest is to try the link on Wednesday night.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Okay, I shall do so then. Hopefully, I won't have forgotten about it till Wednesday night... :)

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

A lot of BBC3 comedies are available online before their first broadcast, and last year they broadcast Dalek live... but sadly they got so many complaints over people with no TV licences watching it and grumble grumble ripping off licence payers grumble grumble that they stopped doing that with programmes like Who. Which sucks, since it's not like people outside the UK won't go and download it anyway...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's a shame, since it seems a good way of promoting the BBC brand globally, and also of getting people to visit the BBC site rather than, as you say, going off somewhere else for a pirate copy.

Having said that, I'm all for the TV licence, given that it's what supports the production of these shows in the first place. Perhaps time delay is the most significant thing: licence fee payers getting the chance to see things first, before things are made available online. Being inventive about broadcasting methods seems better than a blanket ban.

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

If there's one good thing Internet filesharing has done, it's been to speed up the release of movies and tv series outside their country of origin. Thank goodness. It's still not fast enough, though. There's a massive licence fee here and I hardly ever watch telly--if I do, it's usually stuff we've bought off the Beeb. But waiting all the good comedies and dramas for one and a half years to two years (and then trying to find them when they've been given a stupid "translated" title and scheduled to near-midnight on weekdays) is still a bit too long for me.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I was thinking time delay in the sense of "put a show online just after first transmission has finished"! (Because it will be somewhere online shortly after that, so it might as well be on the BBC site.)

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly. They could even make money by that if they put a small fee like 10p per program or something (or even funded it with ads)--if it was something as popular as Who and with a massive broadband quality, I'm sure people would go there first.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Knowing this country there probably needs to be an Act of Parliament for the BBC to be able to charge a fee like that.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Obviously, you know, Cybermen (at 7pm again, don't miss the first 15 minutes)

Anyone who's going to be out, and is about to set their video, should be aware that the FA Cup Final went to extra time and then penalties. So Dr Who is likely to start at least 5 or 10 minutes late (and hence, of course, will finish late).

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

They just said 7.20 p.m.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I wasn't half cross when I realized the transmission had been put back; thanks for posting this.